Geek's Guide to Colorado.

Sitting atop Mount Bross at 14,172ft.
261 feet shy of the highest point in Coloardo!

Geek's Guide to Colorado

I moved to Colorado almost 4 years ago now.
Before I moved here I had visited Colorado twice in my life.
Both times I was left wanting more.

The scale of Colorado is overwhelming. When visiting, no matter what I did I knew there was "better stuff" I was missing (and I was right!). I wish I had access to some "insider knowledge" way back then. If I knew then what I know now, I would have completely changed what I did during those brief vacations.

Now all these years later, I think I might find myself in a bit of a unique position. I've been here long enough to be able to recommend and detail some exceptional riding, but I've not been here so long that I've grown "used to" some of the stuff the locals often over look and that visitors to Colorado would enjoy (and I still get dizzy when up where there is no oxygen ). Sure there are lots of folks around here that know Colorado better than I do, but I've gotten to know enough good stuff that I think it could really be of use to ADVers who are looking to visit.

I'm going to aim this ongoing ride report to my fellow ADVers who do NOT know Colorado but are looking to visit. If you live here, this likely won't be of interest (and you'll have seen many of my photos already in various Rockies Regional Ride Reports). I will be sharing this report with friends and family who live far away and some of them may be young so I'll try and keep language in check as well.

I'm going to spend the next few weeks building this "guide ride report" which will include photos from my past explorations in Colorado, tips on places to go and ride in Colorado (often from a flat-lander's point of view), and upcoming ride reports appended as I explore new parts of The Rocky Mountain State this upcoming ride season.

Hopefully it'll help some of my ADV brethren plan their summer vacations this year and lead you to some of the places that make me go "Wow!" every time I visit them.

cheers,
Edward

The view of Telluride Colorado from Black Bear Pass.
This image has personal significance to me (not to mention it being part of one of Colorado's most spectacular rides!)..

...and let me mention up front I'm afraid of heights. So often when I rate a ride's difficulty it'll have nothing to do with how difficult the ride was and everything to do with how many times I pooped my pants

I've been trying to decide the best way to organize this... and I think I'll simply do it by "What I'd visit first if I were visiting" and work from there.

For me, Colorado riding is about the mountains and the epic views. I grew up in Canada and although we have epic mountains in the Canadian Rockies, one of the things that makes Colorado special is that the mountains are remarkably accessible.

The San Juans.

Some of the most spectacular mountains in Colorado are the San Juan Mountains in South Western Colorado (Ouray/Silverton/Lake City/Durango/Telluride).

The San Juans are known as "Switzerland America" and are famous to non-offroaders due to the Million Dollar Highway. US550 is a stunning paved shelf road that runs from Ouray Colorado to Silverton and then on to Durango. It's famous for scaring flat landers because of the steep drop offs with no guard rails into the ravine below.. but that's nothing compared to the views when you get 3000-5000 feet ABOVE the million dollar highway and look down

If you are on an Adventure motorcycle there is so much more to see

Here's a map I made of some of my favorite passes in the San Juans

My map below is upside down - NORTH is at the bottom. I don't know why I've done it this way.. probably because I always approach the San Juans from Ouray so I think of them as being "ahead of me" in this perspective

This photo is from 13,000 feet on the top of Imogene Pass. The million dollar highway is in the valley below 3000-5000 feet below :eek1 and on the far side of the valley you can see the "red mountains" and if you look.. a little stripe of switch backs that are part of "Corkscrew Pass" (above my tail light).

Well here about 6 hours (and 3 passes) later, we're on the other side on top of those red mountains at 12,000 feet on the top of Corkscrew Pass

Man I love riding in the San Juans.
If it weren't for the fact the high stuff is only open 3 months a year I'd make an effort to move down there. As it is I'll have to make due with getting down 2 or 3 times a summer.

...more to come...

Coming up next some background on The San Juans and a list of the San Juans passes, how best to approach them, and the various passes individual difficulty for flat-landers.

Geek, How do-able are these passes riding 2-up in your opinion??? I am planning a two week trip with my wife on a 950 adventure . I would love to try some of these, but not sure how tuff they are. Any help is appreciated.

Geek, How do-able are these passes riding 2-up in your opinion??? I am planning a two week trip with my wife on a 950 adventure . I would love to try some of these, but not sure how tuff they are. Any help is appreciated.

Click to expand...

You are EXACTLY who I am going to aim this report at. Stay tuned. As I start to break down this report into individual actual routes I'm going to give my opinion on what is required skill and bike wise to enjoy the various routes. I'll be sure to add "two up" friendliness.

I own a 950 so I know exactly where I'd go and where I wouldn't
I've also done some silly things like riding a street bike over many of these passes (not necessarily recommended).

I'm going to try and give the perspective for a "non-Colorado rider" as opposed to say a "Neduro".
A non-Colorado rider would crap their pants on a big bike on Black Bear Pass for example.
Neduro would wheelie up and down it without giving it a second thought.
I'll see if I can come up with a way to rate the various routes so that everyone can judge for themselves.